Gianni Ferrarotti
by Rosanne Ferrarotti
Detroit, Michigan
Giovanni (Gianni) Ferrarotti was born in Italy on April 15, 1945. He came to United States in 1973 to marry Rosanne and had three children, Gianna, Mike and Tony. He was a quiet and intelligent man who worked hard to provide a good life for his family. He was loved and respected by his family and friends.
On October 24, 2002, he was diagnosed with, stage IV, non-small cell adenocarcinoma, which metastasized to his liver and brain. He had radiation to the brain and several chemo treatments. He never complained throughout his illness and took advantage of that time to spend it with his loved ones. On July 10, 2003, at the age of 58, he lost his courageous battle at home surrounded by his loving family.
As our family went through Gianni's journey with lung cancer we were surprised by the lack of compassion towards lung cancer patients in the medical community and the stigma that is attached to it. We also discovered that there is a lack of attention and funding for this horrible disease, even though that it is the #1 cancer killer in the United States. At this time, there is no early detection readily available which could possibly save many lives.
As a result, GFLCF was founded in 2004 by the Ferrarotti family and friends in honor of Gianni's memory.